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Since the mid-seventies, electric utilities were faced with escalating construction costs, growing environmental plus siting constraints and increasing uncertainty in demand forecasting. To cope with the increasing demand for energy services, utilities can either invest in supply-side options (new generation, transmission and distribution facilities) or in demand-side options. Demand-side options include, policies, programmes, innovative pricing schemes and high-efficiency end-use equipment (equipment providing the same or better level of services but using less energy or peak power). Recent experience in both North America and Europe show that demand-side options are usually cheaper and les...
This six-volume set presents cutting-edge advances and applications of expert systems. Because expert systems combine the expertise of engineers, computer scientists, and computer programmers, each group will benefit from buying this important reference work. An "expert system" is a knowledge-based computer system that emulates the decision-making ability of a human expert. The primary role of the expert system is to perform appropriate functions under the close supervision of the human, whose work is supported by that expert system. In the reverse, this same expert system can monitor and double check the human in the performance of a task. Human-computer interaction in our highly complex wo...
Brought to you by the creator of numerous bestselling handbooks, the Handbook of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides a thorough grounding in the analytic techniques and technological developments that underpin renewable energy use and environmental protection. The handbook emphasizes the engineering aspects of energy conservation and renewable energy. Taking a world view, the editors discuss key topics underpinning energy efficiency and renewable energy systems. They provide content at the forefront of the contemporary debate about energy and environmental futures. This is vital information for planning a secure energy future. Practical in approach, the book covers technologies c...
This book contains updated results of both theoretical and applied research in the field of sensors and methods for environmental control, mainly with regard to the detection of pollutant species in gaseous and liquid ambients.The main arguments are related to: development of new nanostructured materials as sensing layers and new detection mechanisms; development of micro- and nano-systems and their integration in miniaturised instruments; application of innovative devices in the detection of contaminant chemical species and their monitoring.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: ? Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)
At the dawn of the new millennium, robotics is undergoing a major transformation in scope and dimension. From a largely dominant industrial focus, robotics is rapidly expanding into the challenges of unstructured environments. Interacting with, assi- ing, serving, and exploring with humans, the emerging robots will increasingly touch people and their lives. The goal of the Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR) series is to bring, in a timely fashion, the latest advances and developments in robotics on the basis of their significance and quality. It is our hope that the wider dissemination of research - velopments will stimulate more exchanges and collaborations among the research community and contribute to further advancement of this rapidly growing field. The European Robotics Symposium (EUROS) was launched in 2006 as an inter- tional scientific single-track event promoted by EURON, the European Robotics Network linking most of the European research teams since its inception in 2000. Since then, EUROS has found its parental home under STAR, together with the other thematic symposia devoted to excellence in robotics research: FSR, ISER, ISRR, WAFR.
Oil and coal have built our civilisation, created our wealth and enriched the lives of billions. Yet their rising costs to our security, economy, health and environment are starting to outweigh their benefits. Moreover, the tipping point where alternatives work better and compete purely on cost is not decades in the future - it is here and now. And that tipping point has become the fulcrum of economic transformation. In Reinventing Fire, Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute offer a new vision to revitalise business models and win the clean energy race - not forced by public policy but led by business for long-term advantage. This independent and rigorous account offers market-based ...
Motivated by the need of energy-efficiency improvements, process optimization, soft-start capability and numerous other environmental benefits, it may be desirable to operate induction motors for many applications at continuously adjustable speeds. The induction motor drives can provide high productivity with energy efficiency in different industrial applications and are the basis for modern automation. This book provides an account of this developing subject through such topics as modelling, noise, control techniques used for high-performance applications and diagnostics. Compiled from contributions by international researchers, this is not a textbook, but the result is an interesting exploration of this technology, that provides a combination of theory, implementation issues and practical examples.
This book provides state-of-the-art scientific and engineering research findings and developments in the area of mobile robotics and associated support technologies around the theme of assistive robotics. The book contains peer reviewed articles presented at the CLAWAR 2015 conference. The book contains a comprehensive collection of papers on legged locomotion with numbers of legs from two upward to multi-legs, which includes robots cable of climbing walls, poles, or more complex structures such as continuing the distinctive CLAWAR themes. There are also a strong showing of articles covering human assist devices, notably exoskeletal and prosthetic devices, as well as social robots designed to meet the growing challenges of global ageing population.
The way in which our society exists, operates and develops is strongly influenced by the way in which energy is produced and consumed. No process in Industry can be performed without sufficient supply of energy, and without Industry there can be no production of commodities on which the existence of modern Society depends. The energy systems evolved over a long period and more rapidly over the last two centuries, as a response to the requirements of Industry and Society, starting from combustion of fuels to exploiting nuclear energy and renewable resources. It is clear that the evolution of the energy systems is a continuous process, which involves constant technological development and innovation. The presentation on the Second International Conference includes: Renewable Energy Technologies; Energy Management; Energy Polices; Energy and the Environment; Energy Analysis; Energy Efficiency; Energy Storage and Management.
This book addresses the growing need for a standard textbook on input-output analysis (IO) within the context of industrial ecology (IE). IE is a discipline dedicated to providing system-wide, quantitative, and science-based solutions for sustainable development challenges, and its global importance has been rapidly increasing. The primary analytical tools of IE are life-cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA). IO has been widely utilized for LCA since the late 1990s and is increasingly being applied to MFA as well. This trend is being driven by the greater availability and application of global IO data, which now includes an ever-expanding number of countries and regions. Despite the presence of excellent textbooks on IO and IE individually, there is a lack of resources that integrate these two fields. This book seeks to fill that gap by focusing on the practical application of IO to IE, specifically in the context of LCA and MFA. By combining these methodologies, readers can gain valuable insights into sustainable development issues and contribute to more effective solutions in the field of IE.